You're Safe With Me

Her heart was beating so fast when they stepped out of the music room. Aciel dragged her and didn't let go of her hand as they walked down the hallway.

A lot of students were surprised to see them holding hands. Some were envious of the pair but most of them thought that they looked so good together. The news about them spread so fast throughout the campus.

Xylia knew that her family would be against her decision and that her fake mother would not be happy about it. But this time, she would not let them control her anymore.

When they got out of the campus building, their friends were waiting in the parking lot. She saw Liliana and the other members of the student council were present including Chelsea. After the incident with her friend's position as the Vice President, they had not talked about it. She wanted to reach out but because of Ivan, she had to distance herself from her friends for days.

"Xylia!" Liliana called with a huge smile on her face.

She wanted to take her hand away from Aciel, not because she didn't want to hold hands with him, but because her friends knew that she was the only one in love.

Aciel glared at him when she tried to pull her hand away. She bit her lip and pouted at his expression.

"What?" He asked.

She shook her head. "It's unfair that I'm the only one getting flushed all the time."

Aciel didn't answer. If only she could read his mind and hear his heart. He thought to himself. He knew he already had feelings for her, but he didn't want to tell her yet because it wasn't as deep as her feelings for him.

Simon was smiling at them and so were the others. They tapped Aciel's shoulder to congratulate and tease him at the same time.

"Princess, take care of our Aciel, okay?" Simon said.

She smiled and then focused on her friends. Chelsea walked toward her and hugged her right.

"I'm sorry for walking out that day. I didn't know." Chelsea whispered.

"I'm sorry for not telling you." She answered.

They reconciled and she was happy about it. But a bigger problem was ahead of them. She had to go home and face her family's wrath.

"So what's your plan now?" Chelsea asked Aciel.

Xylia felt that Chelsea didn't fully support her decision, but her friend knew that only Aciel would be brave enough to deal with the Antonov Clan.

"Do I need to tell you about my plan?" He glared at Chelsea.

"She's my best friend and I still don't like you, but it's her decision so I'll accept it. Just don't ever make her cry. I need to know what your plan is. Maybe I can help." Chelsea answered.

Aciel looked at her and sighed. "I have to talk to my father first. Don't get me wrong. I have all the resources I need to save you and your family, but I am my father's successor. My decision will affect the clan so I need to tell my father and the others to prepare."

"Prepare for what?" She asked.

Aciel didn't answer, but Simon did. "War."

Xylia and the girls were surprised and confused at the same time.

"What do you mean?" Liliana asked.

"Aciel can't have an Antonov woman as his girlfriend or wife. It's the clan's rule that women from Xylia's family are off-limits." Simon continued.

Xylia looked at Aciel. "Why didn't you tell me and what's the reason?"

Aciel still didn't answer. He pulled Xylia inside the car and then looked at their friends.

"We'll meet my father. If you want to help, let's meet tonight at the penthouse." He said before getting in the car.

Xylia felt a deafening silence. Aciel was looking outside the window while her heart couldn't stop pounding.

"Can you say something? You're getting me nervous." She said.

She heard him take a deep breath and then turned to her side. "It's true that I am not allowed to have a relationship with you."

"How did you find out? Did your father tell you the reason?" She asked.

He sighed again. "I told Martin that I want to marry you."

"A-And why do you want to marry me?" She asked, surprised by what he said.

"I don't know, Xylia. I saw pictures of you wearing a bikini on a beach. It was some kind of pictorial. Ever since that day, my mind was full of you. I could not have sex with anyone. I want you so badly so I asked Martin that you're the girl I want. But he told me I can't. I accepted their decision because my father is dying."

She bit her lip and felt guilty. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. It's me. I don't know why I feel this way towards you. I don't even know what I feel about you. But I'm sure I would never let you marry someone else."

She sighed. "Everyone is telling me about marriage without even realizing that I am still young. I'm not some kind of trophy."

"Because that's the kind of world we live in. Your clan is not so different from mine. We may be some criminals to others, but what about those wealthy families who stayed in power?"

Xylia frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"You'll know about it. You will be the wife of a Mafia Boss, so prepare yourself." He said.

Xylia didn't ask further. She kept quiet on their way to Southford. Her heart was pounding when they entered the Mafia's territory because it was her first time in that part of the city.

"Relax. I'm with you. You're safe. I won't let anything happen to you." He said in a gentle voice while holding her hand.

The pounding of her heart continued. Not because she was scared of that place, but because of Aciel's sweet words and kind gesture toward her.